


Much Too Different

by mickyy



Series: oh how things have changed [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: BAMF Annabeth Chase, Gen, Introspection, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), Thinking About Things, probably PTSD but i won't pretend i know how to write that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:22:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22030249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mickyy/pseuds/mickyy
Summary: Annabeth is different. Too different, if you ask her.
Series: oh how things have changed [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585741
Kudos: 133





	Much Too Different

Tartarus had changed her. She had been Annabeth Chase, fearless, dependable leader and reliable friend. Now? Now what was she other than paranoid and depressed? She had the same routine: teaching mythology to the new arrivals, working with less experienced demigods and showing them how to use a knife the right way, being cabin 6’s head counselor, meals, campfire, capture the flag; everything was the same. Except it wasn’t. Or, she wasn’t the same.  
  
Before, she could joke and play and enjoy herself without worrying that the ground was going to swallow her up at any second. Before, she could read book after book after book to find information she needed without shaking so bad she couldn’t read the words, or getting distracted because it’s been peaceful for too long, what horrible stroke of bad luck is going to come next? Before, she was only afraid of spiders and wasting her life inside the borders of Camp Half-Blood.  
  
Now…she was constantly on guard. Falling terrified her, be it off the climbing wall or a pegasus, it took her right back to Tartarus, the _hoursdaysmonths_ long fall. She had to remind herself, every time she was in the amphitheater, that she wasn’t fighting for her life anymore. There’d been too many close calls where she’d nearly hurt someone. She was dangerous, now.  
  
And Percy…he was even more dangerous. Every time she saw him, her heart stopped. How could he walk around, laughing and joking and sparring as if nothing had happened? As if he hadn’t done anything terrifying? The worst part of the whole entire Tartarus ordeal was that she wasn’t as scared of Tartarus as she was of Percy.  
  
She had changed. Now she was Annabeth Chase, terrified, anxious mess and too-ruthless warrior. But she was still Annabeth Chase, and she’d be damned if she allowed her fears to control her they way Percy had controlled that poison.


End file.
